Gamification moves in-store

04 June 2014

SINGAPORE: Gamified brand interactions are set to move off mobile devices and desktops and into stores, offering another dataset for marketers to consider.

Brands have long been aware of the role that gamification can play in branding by driving interactive relationships with customers but a Singapore start-up claims that installing touchscreen devices with branded games near the point of sale is a step forward in engaging consumers digitally at store level.

"Media space on location is of vital importance and is a game changer for brands," said Julian Corbett, founder of PlayTMN.

He told Campaign Asia-Pacific that few media interactions were able to deliver the level of engagement, affinity and purchase intent that he was claiming: engagements, for example, lasted on average 57 seconds and completion rates were running at 75%.

"The fact that it [the touchscreen device] happens to be five metres away from their product is a big win for brands," he added.

This approach has attracted the interest of some major players, including Unilever which used it as part of a promotion for Lifebuoy soap. This employed the device's camera to encourage shoppers to swipe away at germs in an in-store version of a parallel TV campaign.

Suzanne Arfelt, Unilever director of marketing, was effusive, describing this interactive media space as "a truly scalable solution for engaging customers at point of purchase in exciting new ways".

Brands already have a number of options open to them in gamification, as Sarah Ortman, senior group manager of national shopper marketing at Clorox, outlined to a conference last year.

"There's no reason why you can't gamify shopping," she declared. "Shopping for lots of people, especially in the digital world now where we're pre-shopping – it's all about that treasure hunt and discovery."

She identified three approaches – building your own game, buying it off the shelf and customising it or renting it – all of which had their benefits and drawbacks.